Yes, if we’re going to feed our far-east food fixation, there’s only one place where it’s going to happen – at home. In my kitchen to be exact, where I can control the amount of fat and salt in my Chinese food, and serve non-super-human sized portions, like in tonight’s dinner of Broccoli Beef.

This is hands down the best Chinese dish I have ever made at home. Ben yelled obscene things regarding it’s utter deliciousness after his first bite. Ok, me too.

Bonus: after some prep work it took less than five minutes to cook. Literally from the time Ben walked in the door, took off his shoes and changed, I had stir fried succulent strips of flank steak, added in tender spears of broccoli, and swirled it all together in a salty, savory sauce. AMAZING!!

Start the dish with that little bit of prep work I mentioned.

Beef

First, thinly slice 3/4lb flank steak against the grain. I told you a couple weeks ago that flank steak is a pretty legit cut of beef in terms of tenderness (very), time it takes to cook (none), and price (cheap). It’s also lower in fat than other cuts of beef, which makes it a great choice for Ben and me.

Place the slices in a plastic ziplock bag, add a mixture of cornstarch, mirin, and soy sauce, then mix it all around and let the beef marinate on the countertop for 10 minutes. FYI – mirin is a Japanese cooking wine that you should be able to find in most major grocery stores. Alternatively, you could use a little sherry in its place.

Broccoli

While the beef is doin’ its thang, steam 4 cups fresh broccoli for a couple minutes until it’s crisp-tender. Don’t overcook the broccoli (unless you really like mushy broccoli, which I actually do, just not in stir fry, anyways…) as it will cook a bit more later in the program.

Sauce

Next create the sauce for the Broccoli Beef by combining mirin, soy sauce, chicken broth and oyster sauce together in a bowl.

Oyster sauce is one of those ingredients that you might feel irritated at having to buy because it’s not used in a TON of dishes, so here – use it in jaw-droppingly delicious Garlic Noodles, and all will be right with the world. :)

Ok, the prep work’s over. Time to get cookin’! Whip out your electric wok, regular wok, or the largest skillet you own, and heat it on high – that’s about 350 degrees for you fellow electric wok’ers.

Place the sliced beef in a large ziplock bag. Stir together the marinade ingredients and pour into the bag. Smoosh to coat the beef in the mixture, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 2 minutes, or until crisp tender. Do not overcook as the broccoli will cook a bit more later in the recipe.

Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat an electric wok, or very large skillet, to high heat. Add the oil then gently place the beef in the wok and spread into a single layer. Let the beef cook for 1 minute without touching it.

Add the garlic and stir continuously for 1 minute, then add in the sauce and broccoli. Bring the sauce to a boil, then add in the cornstarch dissolved in water. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.

I love how the soy sauce and oyster sauce lend a deep, savory flavor, while the mirin lends just a wee hint of sweet. The broccoli soaks up all that good sauce too and is so, so, SO good.

Making Broccoli Beef at home is so much better than getting it from a greasy takeout joint. This was actually really light tasting, with no remorseful groaning on the couch afterwards. You know what I’m talking about…

ps can we all talk about how people on TV shows and in the movies always eat their Chinese food right out of the takeout container? Do they mix their entrees with rice in a separate bowl, then dump it back into the container? How obnoxious would that be?

Anyways, I’m off to go fight Ben for lunch leftovers. ;) See ya!

~~~~~

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My name's Kristin and I'm an Iowa Girl! I eat as well as my sweet tooth allows, run as often as possible despite the crazy Iowa weather, and am usually dreaming about the next place I want to travel to! Read more...